Log Horizon: The Dragon Slayer
by whiteraven95
Summary: After the apocalypse, Sirius ends up in ends up in Elder Tale like everyone else. How will she cope with this new life? Join her as she embarks in journeys of adventures, friendship, and in the guild Shiroe created-Log Horizon.
1. The White Samurai

**Chapter 1: The White Samurai**

When I come to, I find myself in a verdant forest. The grass beneath me is soft and nice. The leaves of the trees above me rustle with the wind. Sunlight shine on my face and I realize I am outside, away from my computer in my room.

I lift my body up and sit on the grass. _How did I end up here? _I was playing Elder Tale a minute ago and then a blackout washed over me. The next thing I realize is that I end up in this place. I look down at my hand then shock hit me like a tsunami. My arms are covered in a smooth purple cloth with golden sakura flower imprints. I stand, scrutinize myself carefully. I am dressed in a long-sleeved purple kimono secured with a red sash tied on the back. It is short, only till my knees. My legs are donned with black leggings and a pair of ankle boots. Two long and thin objects dangle from my waist. I reach out for one of them and find out they are swords encased in white sheaths adorned with golden swirls. Something in my mind is triggered. What I am wearing now is similar to my avatar in Elder Tale.

_Wow, this dream is so vivid it felt so real. _

I rub my head. My hair is extraordinarily smooth and long. It is as white as snow—wait, white?! I grab the ends of my hair to my face and my eyes bulge out from their sockets as the truth is evident. My hair IS white.

_This must be a dream. Snap out of it. _I pinch my arm painfully so I would wake up. Nothing happen. The trees are still there. The grass is still beneath my feet.

The truth hit me like a bomb from nowhere.

"I AM IN ELDER TALE?!"

No way. No freaking way. How can I end up in a game? I am just in front of the computer screen, online to wait for the update of the 12th expansion pack, Homesteading the Noosphere. This must be a dream. A dre—

"Help!"

I hear a girl's scream from nearby. I recognize it as Akira's voice. She is a human Cleric who I am travelling with a few moments ago. Because she is only a beginner and I'm the first friend she meets in the game, so I often kept tabs on her. After a while, we became travelling partners. I used the Teacher System so that I can train her to be stronger.

"Sirius-nee!" her voice snaps me back into reality. _Did Akira come into the game as well?_ I run into the direction where the scream comes from. My entire body is lighter than it should be. My legs run faster than I always did in reality. The wind slapping against my face feels real. I slowly accept the fact that all of these are real. I am real. Elder Tale is real. This is not a dream. I'm no longer sitting behind a computer screen anymore.

This is not a virtual game. This is reality.

When I reach an empty plain in the midst of looming trees, Akira is on the ground, breathing heavily. Her head jerks up when she hears my footsteps. When she sees me, she runs toward me and hugs me tight. This Akira is just like the Akira I always see in the game. She is shorter than me, reaching to my chin. Her cerulean hair is tied into two ponytails. She wears an overgrown green sweatshirt with a pair of leather shorts and matching leather boots. Her hand is grasping tight to a wooden wand with a star adornment. Tears brim in her big brown orbs. I gently touch her hair as she hugs me. She must be scared after finding herself in an alien place. After all, in real life, she is only 15.

"It's ok, I'm here," I say gently, coaxing her to calm down. She wipes the tears from her face, trying hard to stop herself from crying again. I stare intently at her. A black dialogue box pops out near her head, just like the one in the game when we meet our friends. It shows the basic information of the player, for example the face, name, class, level, guild, HP and MP bars. Akira is a human cleric, level 22, no guild affiliated.

Oh wait! If this is just like the game—

I gently tap the air in front of me. Just like that, multiple black dialogue boxes emerge. They represent the command menu that I am familiar with. In the centre is a picture of a katana placed horizontally—the symbol of the samurai, which is my class. Four smaller boxes branch out from it, indicating 'Skills', 'Quest', 'Equipment' and 'Items'. On the upper right is my status box:

_Sirius_

_Race: Human_

_Class: Samurai Level: 90_

_HP: 13240_

_MP: 6900_

_No guild affiliated. _

On the upper left is the location where I am now. I'm currently in a forest outside of Akihabara. On the bottom left is the 'Logout' box and 'Friends List' box.

_Logout?! _

I quickly press the button, but to no avail. A red 'no entry' sign pops out. So it means that I am stuck in this place. I can't logout like the game. I sigh and turn the other buttons. I press 'Item' and it branches out to more buttons. One of them is Dezanegg's Magic Bag and I press it. All the items that I previously got from the game are still there. That's a relief.

I turn to another button, which is the 'Friends List' button. It shows a long list of friends that I befriended. Some of the names are lit up in white while some are grey in colour. Can the ones lit up meant they are also in the game? I scroll down and spot a few familiar names that are lit up: Akatsuki, Crusty, Henrietta, Maryelle, Naotsugu, Nazuna, Nyanta, Shiroe, Soujirou…

_Souji's in the game too? _ Maybe I can connect him through voice chat.

I am disrupted when Akira yells again. "Sirius-nee! Look out!"

I look away from my command menu, just in time to dodge a goblin that lurch for me. I immediately jump away from the goblin. It isn't alone. A few of them have us surrounded. They are so realistic, with their dark green skin, pointy nose and yellow mean eyes. Their average levels are 20, so it should be no problem to deal with them. I unsheathe my swords and ready for battle. Akira stands behind me for cover.

When the goblins attack, I too launch myself forward. One of them swings its axe at me and I parry with my right katana. I open my command menu with my left hand to activate a skill but another goblin slashes my side. I jump away, feeling slight pain coursing through my veins. Red liquid oozes from my wound. It is blood. Like real life, we can bleed if we get hurt. My HP decreases minimally. I reach again to activate my skills but the goblins are swarming on me. Their attacks are irregular and have no specific pattern. They are much tougher than I expect.

I fall back as far as possible to widen the gap between me and the goblins. This isn't a game anymore. I cannot use game knowledge to beat them.

I quickly assess the situation. There are six goblins, levels 20 and above. It's useless to use the command menu during battle. I will get hurt if I'm hit. I need to use skills if I need to beat them immediately but how?

I have an idea in mind but I'm not sure if it will work.

"Akira, ready to heal me if my HP gets below 50%," I say to the girl behind me. She nods.

I launch myself at the goblins. My katanas glows in purple as I slash at them with two wide arcs, just like the skill 'Double Wide Arc'. The goblins are hit and two of them die instantaneously in a flurry of bubbles, leaving money and items behind. I smirk. I know how this works now. It's pointless to use the command menu in battle. The only thing to do to is to feel the motion of the skills and let the system do the rest.

Two more goblins swing their weapons at me. I dodge one and parry the other. Another goblin finds the opportunity to tackle me to the ground, its bloodthirsty axe raised aloft. I stab it through its gut, ripping it into half. It vanishes in thin air and the rewards land on me. I roll away as another axe lands at the spot where I lie. Jumping to my feet, I began to move both my swords from the right to the left horizontally at the level of my chest. The purple glow signifies the activation of the skill 'Wide Wind Slash' and two more goblins defeated. The remaining one does not back up because I have too much aggro to keep it attracted to me. I lurch and use 'Wide Wind Slash' again. It loses its entire HP and vanishes in the form of bubbles.

I breathe through the exhaustion and sheath my swords. Akira comes to my attention and heals me with one of her spells.

Her eyes glitter with pure excitement as she speaks. "That's a good job, Sirius-nee!"

I pat her head. "Yeah. I'm starting to like this place. It feels like the game but it is now our reality." I stretch my limbs. "We needa do our best so that we don't get killed." She nods in agreement.

"Where should we go now?"

I look up at the sky. The setting sun has dyed it orange and red, a contrast to the blueness I'd seen just now. "We should go to Akiba. I bet a lot of other players are there right now. It's much safer in the city at night." I remember all the monsters that lurk in the darkness. With the new expansion pack, they probably had gotten stronger. I alone can't handle them all.

Akira leads the way back to the city because she is much more familiar of the route than I am. We are silent on the way because we have to stay alert for any more monsters. When nightfall has arrived, Akira comes to a halt. Her head is lowered and she holds her stomach like she is in pain.

"Akira? Are you okay?" I ask. She looks up at me. Her face twists in agony. Then her stomach growls.

"I-I'm hungry," she replies bashfully, like hunger is something to be ashamed of. I sigh, calling out my command menu. I make a hamburger with the ingredients I have and hand it over to her. The hamburger looks appetizing, with its fluffy bun and juicy meat. She takes it from me, murmurs thanks and takes a huge bite from it.

"So, how does it taste?" I ask as the hamburger has lure out my appetite too. But Akira has frozen in mid-air, with part of the hamburger still in her mouth. She stops chewing and does not swallow but her face turns pale. She notices that my eyes linger on her and somehow forcibly swallow the remains of the food in her mouth. Her fists thump her chest to make the food go down her throat into her stomach. She is acting like eating is the worst thing that could happen.

"Are you ok?" I ask again, and she shakes her head. She hands me the remaining hamburger and gestures me to try. I have a bad feeling about this. I take a bite and regret instantly. The prefect image of a hamburger with fluffy bun and juicy meat shatters. I taste neither bun nor meat. Instead the entire thing tastes like soggy cardboard. I force myself to swallow.

"What is this?" my voice comes out weak. "Why it has no taste, despite looking so delicious?" I look at Akira, expecting an answer but she shakes her head.

"Sirius-nee, does this mean all the food will taste like this?"

The very thought sends shivers through my spine. This horrifying truth hits me harder than when I find myself in Elder Tale. Are we going to eat soggy cardboard for the rest of our lives here? I feel like crying. Eating is my second most essential necessities, the first being sleeping. If soggy cardboard is the only thing we can depend our lives on, I rather die.

"Maybe we should just hurry on to the city. Someone must have something good to eat," I suggest. Akira nods, looking disappointed too. We fasten our pace to the city, praying to God that we will get good food.

It probably took us half-an-hour to reach the outskirts of the city. I look at glimmering lights of the largest city in Yamato that are finally visible. We are close. The only thing in my mind is food until Akira shakes me back into reality. Emerged in front of us are two kids, a girl and a boy. They look young, even younger than Akira. The girl has short brown hair with a small pigtail on the left of her skull. She wears the typical white-and-red Kannagi clothing. The boy has army-cut brown hair and wears a plate armor over his chest. He carries a katana on his back. They resemble each other, so they are probably siblings. I don't see any hostility in them because I believe they are beginners. Finally we get to see other players who are also stuck in the game. They look shocked when they find me and Akira wandering in the woods at the time like this.

Akira gleefully steps forward, with a big smile on her face to greet the two. She is always the enthusiastic one to meet new friends. "Hi, I'm Akira. This is my partner, Sirius. Where are you guys going?"

The girl's mouth opens to speak but closes back. She presses her lips together and musters her strength to open it again. "I'm Minori. This is my brother, Tohya. We are just trying to see how Elder Tale works outside the city."

"Oh. So you guys come from Akiba?"

They both nod. "If we want to get accustomed to this new life, we have to break free from our comfort zones," the boy, Tohya adds. He seems to be enjoying his new life in Elder Tale. I see no fear etched on his face. His sister looks otherwise. She looks tense when she first saw us, but relaxed a little when Akira initiated a friendly conversation.

I sigh. Tohya is getting too hyped. Minori is wary about everything around her, which is a good thing because it's best to stay on your guard in a new place. "You guys shouldn't be wandering around at a time like this. It's dangerous. Go back to the city."

Tohya looks surprised from my comment. "B-but—"

"You are beginners. I doubt you can take the monsters on now. Some monsters become stronger at night. Plus the new expansion pack probably gave them upgrades. Just like how we end up here." I am not sure how the new expansion pack sucks players into this, but it has to be related in one way or another.

Minori looks at her brother apologetically. The boy's face turns gloomy. My words are a letdown to him. Akira stares at me with her big brown orbs. Puppy eyes pleading method. I know what she is going to ask.

"Let's do it this way. We'll all go back to the city for the night, and then we'll come out again in the morning. I'll use the Teacher System on you guys so that you can level up. Ok?" I suggest. Their eyes glimmer with hope and gratefulness.

"Y-you would do this for us?" Minori asks. She is completely relaxed now after hearing my offer. It's abnormal for a stranger to offer them help in such short notice. But at least they don't have to worry that I'm some perverted pedophile. Not that I'm one.

"This is going to be great!" Tohya jumps excitedly, pumping his fists in the air. "It'll be just as fun as the one when Shiroe-san taught us! Thanks Sirius-san!"

_Shiroe?_ I am surprised to hear his name. The villain-in-glasses is actually a friend of theirs and too used the system on them. From my previous adventures with the man, he is by far the most ruthless and smartest villain-in-glasses. His strategies and veteran knowledge makes him a renowned player in the game. Even so, he is actually a kind-hearted man who is shy in lending a hand to others. It's not much of a shock to hear him helping out beginners.

"Well then, let's go back to the city!" Akira leads the way again. On the way, Tohya keeps asking me about my Samurai experience and Minori chatters away with Akira. When the city is just before us, greeting us with its warm lights, Tohya runs forward. A bridge separates us from the city that is protected by a magic barrier to keep monster at bay.

I notice aside the pretty lights, there are a few figures shuffling about just outside the city. My instincts nag me that something is wrong. I chase after Tohya and grab him by his collar. He comes to a halt and look at me with a questioning stare. The shadowy figures close in on us. I pull Tohya with me, backing away to where Akira and Minori are standing. When the figures are close enough, I realize they are not monsters, but players instead. They observe us intently, scanning us with their sharp eyes. I grit my teeth. I know what is going on. I can see by the looks on their faces. They look at us like a predator glaring at its prey.

The worst possible thing to happen right now.

"PK," I mutter. Akira's head jerks up when she hears the word. She turns back to the people in front of us, eyes with concern and fear. Immediately, she pulls Minori and Tohya behind her. They look at her without any hint of what is going to happen.

I glare with detest at the PK players. It is quick for them to resort to PK as a way to earn a living. But they are going to regret this. "What's wrong? Do you guys need help?" I shout, my hands linger over my swords. Visibly there are only four of them, but I bet there is probably more hiding in the forest, waiting for their chance to attack.

"Of course," says a female elf with dark olive skin, clads in pink. Her status bar shows the name Rikopin. "Leave us all your money and we will let you live."

I hear Minori gasp. Tohya is balling his fists and itches to launch himself forward but I give him a look to stand back. He gets it and tries to calm himself. "Why should I anyway? You think I'm afraid that you will kill us?"

The only Wolf Fang in the group, Smash, laughs. "There's only four of you. Correction—one of you that can fight. You the Samurai girl. The others are pretty much useless. The two young ones are only mere beginners. The other girl is probably a Cleric or a Druid. It's a win for us. Just hand over your stuff and we'll make this easy for you."

I scan the remaining two. One of them has a large build in heavy armor named Katsuomaru. The other is covered in dark robes named Stroganopp. The previous two look like Assassins while the latter is a probably a Guardian and a Healer.

This is going to be one heck of a battle. But I'm not going to surrender. "PKs need to be taught a lesson, huh?" I mutter and Akira nods.

The current situation is simple. I am the only capable fighter to fend them off. Akira can heal me if I am injured. Minori and Tohya do not have the skills to support in battle yet. I'm not a Guardian so I cannot be the tank to attract their attention on me. Plus there are still some who are hiding to wait for the right moment to attack. Possibility of winning is less than 30%.

But this is what makes the entire battle thing fun.

I unsheathe my swords. They take it as a sign that combat is about to commence and walk casually towards me. I nod at Akira to keep the other two safe. She nods back. I walk towards the PKs as a glow envelope me. A Kannagi shield is casted over me. I silently thank Minori but I doubt the shield can last long.

As I take another step forward, my legs are glued to the floor. Chains that emerge from the ground hold me firmly so that I cannot move. The sole female PK, immediately launch herself at me and I parry with my swords. The Wolf Fang unsheathe his swords and slash at me. I dodge by moving my torso. I can't keep myself glued to here.

"Sirius-nee!" Akira's scream jerk me back to where she is standing. The bulky man advances towards them, killing intent emanating from his figure. He is really going to kill them. I grit my teeth.

The chains retract from me since the casting time is up. I jump away from their attacks onto Katsuomaru, drawing his attention to me. His counterattack pushes me further from Akira and breaks the shield Minori casted. I breathe heavily, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The main three fighters have their eyes fixated on me. The girl launch another attack and I parry, and then I counterattack with a wide slash. I narrowly dodge the swords the Wolf Fang slashing at me. The bulky man smashes the ground that I just stand with his hammer-like weapon. It would shave off 20% of my HP if I didn't dodge.

My HP is gradually decreasing with every attack. It's time to use my trump card.

I raise one of my swords in the air. I begin to enchant. "Oh heavenly guardian, hear my prayers. Come to my aid. Bring forth disaster with your wings. Destroy evil with your breath. Tear the enemies apart with your claws."

The three fighters are taken by surprise with my chanting. "No way. She's a Summoner?!" one of them says.

The Wolf Fang yells. "Don't be fooled. She's just fooling us with that chant! Kill her!"

They immediately run towards me, faking their bravado so that they are not intimidated. I smirk.

I finish my chant. "Summon forth, the sole child of the legacy, Divine Dragon!" Purple light surround me, shining brighter with every passing second. When the light fades, I feel a heavy object weighting on my shoulders, its sharp claws clutching my flesh. I hear the flapping of a pair of strong wings and feel hard scales touching the back of my neck. Immense heat surge the back of my skull.

"Meet my dragon, Ryuuta."

Ryuuta roars, booming my ears but instilling fear in the PKs. He flaps his wings and takes off, breathing fire at them. They jump away as fast as possible, but the fire cuts off 10% of their HP. They are so shocked seeing a dragon with their own eyes they can barely try to attack. Of course. Ryuuta has a special effect. He can paralyze his enemies for 10 seconds during his first appearance in a battle.

I take the liberty and aim for the healer first. I use 'Double Wide Slash' on him and he falls to the ground, losing half of his HP. I attack again until he has only 5% of his HP. I can't kill him because I don't know if he can revive after that. In fact, I can't kill all of them because I don't know what it will do to them. The only way to stop PK is to give them taste their own medicine. How ironic.

"Ryuuta! Don't kill them! HP 5% would be enough!" I shout at the dragon. He roars and swoops in at Katsuomaru, baring his fangs at him. Ryuuta is as large as the man so the man falls to the ground when Ryuuta lands on him and claws at his armor. A Kannagi shield is casted on Ryuuta and a new one is recasted on me. I glance at Minori for appreciation.

I immediately change my target to the healer who is petrified a few feet from me. I slash at him multiple times, cutting his HP down to only 5%. After 10 seconds, the PKs regain their mobility. The three fighters began their assault on Ryuuta but he flies over them and breathes fire. The healer intends to heal him and his companions but I smash the hilt of my sword into his throat. He holds his throat dearly and chokes. For the next fifteen seconds he cannot speak nor use any spell.

Fifteen seconds is more than enough to defeat them.

My feet launch off into the battle that is heating up. One sword parries the attack from the female elf and the other sword slashes her gut. I jump away when the Wolf Fang nearly cuts me with his swords. I jump away again from the hammer's attack. My hands land the ground and I kick the Wolf Fang in his face. Ryuuta seizes the opportunity, grabs him by his shoulder, carries him high in the air and then lets go. The Wolf Fang descents on to the hard ground and his HP is cut off half. The bulky man lurches for me, hammer raised aloft. However, my impeccable speed slashes his gut before his eyes can capture the attack. His HP is more or less 5% remaining as he stumbles to the ground, pressing his wound to stop the bleeding.

"Ryuuta, the forest!" I yell. He gets what I am talking about and breathes blue fire at the bushes nearby. I hear screams and shrieks. Two cloaked men run out from their hiding spot, fire catching their clothing. Ryuuta swoops down and lands on them. He roars and booms their ears apart.

I return my focus on the healer, who is finally released from the spell I casted upon him. His mouth begins to chant the words of a healing spell. But I am faster. My hilts smashes his opened mouth and I use my momentum to topple him. He falls to the ground with a loud thud. I place my foot on his mouth, making sure he stays still. When he realizes he does not need words to cast his spell, my sword stabs the ground next to his face. Shock and fear mix on his face. He turns pale within a millisecond.

I glare at him. "Don't even think about using a spell. Try it," my other sword lingers over his face, only a few inches apart. "And I will stab this in your face. You'll die. But who knows for sure. Maybe you will return to our old world. _Maybe _not. Maybe you will die just like how people die in the real world. No revival at the cathedral. You will feel nothing but emptiness in your goddamn soul." My sword inches closer. "You wanna try that out?" I won't kill PKs, but that doesn't mean I will show mercy on their mental suffering. If I cannot solve PK by killing them, I will give them some good old-fashioned mental-torment blackmail.

The healer's face is paler than ever. I look at the rest of his companions. They are half-dead by now. The Wolf Fang glares at me, cursing. The only one standing is the female elf, but she is too scared to even fight back. Her legs falter and she collapses to the ground, begging mercy. She looks at me, and mutters something incoherent. The words repeat themselves and I realize what she is talking about.

"N-no way… it's her… it's her…" she mutters.

The Wolf Fang is infuriated by her frailness. "What are you talking about?!"

"T-the White Samurai! T-the one with the dragon! The Dragon Slayer!"

The Wolf Fang, hearing the title, appalled. He looks at me and notices my white hair. "You're kidding… right? Her strength rivals even the Sword Saint, Soujirou Seta!"

_I'm that famous? I didn't know. _

I sheathe my swords. They shiver in fear as I walk pass them to my friends. Before we enter the city, I look back at them.

"Only move after 10 seconds me and my friends enter the city. Or else," I do the gesture where I threaten to kill them off by slitting my throat with my thumb. "Commit PK one more time and I will kill you again. And again."

I give them a ruthless glare. "As many as it takes."

* * *

**Hi guys! ****This is my new fiction and the very first about Log Horizon. It will span from the anime's first and second season so this story is probably gonna be a long one. I'm currently working on another one too about Assassination Classroom so will update as soon as possible. Hope you can enjoy this story!**


	2. West Wind Brigade

**Chapter 2: West Wind Brigade**

Akira pumps her fists in the air. "Awesome, Sirius-nee!" Ryuuta touches my head with his and I pat him.

Minori and Tohya look at me with gaping mouths. Words fail to form when Minori tries to say something. Tohya jumps around with excitement. "That is so awesome, Sirius-san! You have to teach me how to become a Samurai as powerful as you!"

"Is that so?" I sheepishly rub my head. I blush at his compliment. I am not as great as they think I am. However, Ryuuta grunts in agreement with Tohya. He reminds me I haven't properly introduced my dragon to them. "Minori, Tohya, this is Ryuuta," I say. Ryuuta lowers his head as a greeting. "He's a dragon that I got from a quest called 'Protect the Dragon Mother'. Actually he is a dragon egg, but I have to acquire the Dragon Slayer status to hatch it so I went on killing raid-rank dragons. Then it hatched."

The siblings stare at me with awe. I think I'm becoming a role model for them.

"But she can't do it alone of course," Akira adds. "She needs another Level 90 player to help her hatch the egg by using their combined MPs. So Ryuuta doesn't only have a mother. He has a father too."

I stare at Akira, who is babbling too much information. The siblings look sort of confused. Akira ignores my stare and goes on. "Ryuuta's father is none other than the Sword Saint, the guild master of West Wind Brigade, Soujirou Seta!"

Minori and Tohya listen with enthusiasm as Akira continues her storytelling. I resist the urge to strangle her.

"Sirius-nee and Soujirou-san has known each other for a long time, since they are just Level 40 rookies. Since then, they've been travelling with each other, fighting with each other and level-up with each other. They are inseparable life partners!"

I continue to stare at her with disbelief. Ryuuta wags his tail when he hears Souji's name.

"And they join Debauchery Tea Party together. Then they went on the quest together and acquired Ryuuta's egg. But Soujirou-san has already a subclass, so Sirius is the only one who can obtain the Dragon Slayer title. So they went to kill 70 raid-rank dragons and Sirius finally became a Dragon Slayer. Then they hatched Ryuuta together with all their MP and tada! Ryuuta was hatched!" Akira says, looking at me with pure admiration. "This is Ryuuta's life story!" Ryuuta growls in agreement.

"However…" Akira makes a dramatic pause. I know where this is going. "Ryuuta's life story is just a tiny element that impels the main story forward!"

"What's the main story?" Tohya asks, completely absorbed into Akira's storytelling.

Akira rubs her chin. She gives me a look that I don't like. _She's gonna exaggerate things again. _

"It is the love story—" her arms flail in the air. Ryuuta spreads his wings to follow her movement. "—Of Sirius-nee and Soujirou-sa—" I clamp her mouth before she spills too much. She struggles to break free from my clutch but I give a devastating glare. She stops and slump lifelessly to the ground. Pouting, she looks up at me, using her puppy eyes to soften me. "I am just telling the truth."

"Fabricated and exaggerated truth that becomes a big damn lie. Do you want me to feed you to the goblins? I'd be glad to so that I can check whether if you revive at the cathedral later."

She looks down at the ground, playing with the stones. "It's gonna happen sooner or later. What I was saying is a divination that will surely happen in the future. I mean, sometimes he is just so smitten with you and you enjoy having him around."

"You're confusing the rookies."

Akira looks at Minori and Tohya, who seem to be disoriented by us. I sigh. Then something growls. It isn't Ryuuta.

Tohya clutches his stomach. His face is a red blush. "Sorry… I think I'm hungry from all the commotion going on."

"I'll make you some food," Minori says as a burger appears in her hand. Before we can stop him, Tohya has grabbed the burger and takes a large bite from it. Then his face turns completely white. He turns to Minori, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Minori, w-what is this?"

"Eh?"

"Umm… about food," I speak up. They turn their attention to me. "Everything tastes like soggy cardboard, no matter what kind of food you create."

They look at me like I am crazy, their pupils dilated. Then they look back at the burger Tohya is holding. The siblings are trying to accept the horrible truth but it is very hard to swallow. "EH?!"

"W-why?" Tohya asks with pleading eyes. He has completely lost his appetite.

"We have no idea."

The two look as appalled as us when we first realized the horrible truth. Becoming a real Adventurer in Elder Tale is fun, but without the savoury of food that actually tastes like one, this place might as well be hell.

I stretch my limbs and Ryuuta imitates me. "Dang I'm exhausted. Maybe we should find an inn to live in?" I ask Akira. She yawns as an agreement. I turn to the siblings. "Do you belong to any guild?"

They look at each other. "We didn't join any guild. We thought we should level-up before we join one."

I scratch my head. "It's best if you have one since you are beginners."

"Ok then!" Tohya exclaims loudly. "Let's join one, Minori!" She nods. "Sirius-san, are you affiliated to any guild?"

I shake my head. "But I can still help you to train so that you can level-up faster. Besides, you guys get EXP pots before Level 30 so you can level-up even faster."

"Actually," Minori speaks up, her voice soft and looking shy. "Tohya and I can't really afford to ask you help up with leveling up. You just saved our lives back there. W-we… we don't know how to repay your kindness if we ask too much of your help."

"So we decided that we will level-up on our own, find a guild and become stronger then we'll come back for you, Sirius-san!" Tohya adds.

"Are you guys sure?" Akira asks. "It's not really safe to train alone outside right now."

I see determination gleam in their eyes. Their will is strong and will be further polished into unbreakable when they advance further into their new lives. I smile. These two rookies really impressed me. Their passion burns brightly in their hearts. It's sad to separate from them so quick. But since they have made their decision, it will not sway under any circumstances. "Fine. I wish the best to your guys too. But don't hesitate to ask me help when you need any. We'll be there when you need us." I flash them a wide grin.

Ryuuta growls sadly as he approaches the siblings. They back up by instinct but Minori bravely reached out for Ryuuta's outstretched head. She tentatively touches his scales and strokes his head until he purrs like a kitten. Tohya, too steels himself to touch him. Ryuuta gives them a big hug by wrapping them in his huge wings. It's his way of a blessing and saying goodbye. They laugh and we laugh too.

We add each other into our respective friend lists. Then Minori and Tohya make their leave. "Bye, Sirius-san, Akira-san, Ryuuta-san!"

We watch as their figures disappear into the deeper parts of the city. I hope all goes well for them.

"I'll miss them," Akira says. I smile.

Ryuuta growls. He looks expectantly in a direction faraway, like there has something he wants. I look at that direction and look back at Ryuuta. I cannot comprehend his wishes. "What is it, Ryuuta?"

He glares at me, seemingly cursing my stupidity. I sigh. _I can't read your mind even if I hatched you, Ryuuta. _

With his head lifted high with pride, Ryuuta walks on four feet towards that direction. His long tail creates a trail on the ground. Akira and I follow him nonetheless. He leads us into the center of the city, where the density of people is higher. Their eyes are fixated on Ryuuta as he walks pass them. They must look shocked when they see a real live dragon, larger than their build, walks past them nonchalantly like they mean nothing to him. Some of them hesitantly draw their weapons as defense, but Ryuuta continues to pay no heed. I want to stop him but he is persistent. I have no choice but to walk by his side, assuring the rest that he means no harm. His scales gleam like he wears a blanket of a thousand stars over his scales whenever the moon shines on him. The two sharp gold horns on his head glitter.

Ryuuta finally stops in front of a building, which is huge and Japanese-styled. It looks familiar but I can't quite grasp the idea. He growls at the door. I touch the knob and multiple dialogue boxes pop up. It clearly stated that the building is the guild of West Wind Brigade, belonging to the guild master Soujirou Seta, my old friend. I have no clearance to enter it because I'm not a guild member.

_No wonder this place looks familiar. And no wonder Ryuuta wants to come here. Souji's here. _

Ryuuta is displeased when I am unable to open the door. He threatens to break the door down with his head but Akira and I hold him back. I intend to voice call Souji before Ryuuta commits any unnecessary destruction when Ryuuta roars. It is such a loud roar that both our eardrums almost explode. The sound waves spread out in a circle to the surrounding area. The building vibrates in correspondence.

"Ryuuta! Behave!" I yell over his roar. He looks at me apologetically and I glare at him. He stops his roar and looks expectantly at the door, waiting for it to open.

It takes only seconds when the door opens, and a young man steps out. He has dark long hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a cyan green coat with matching hakama and a similarly coloured scarf over his neck. I recognize that handsome yet sort of childish-looking face anywhere. His dark orbs meet mine and he grins widely. Happiness written over his face.

"Sirius!" Souji shouts, but before he can come to me Ryuuta launches himself onto the man and both 'father' and 'son' topple to the ground. Souji's eyes widen with bewilderment when he sees Ryuuta and laughs. Ryuuta licks his face.

"Ryuuta! Oh my god! You're so huge!" He pats the dragon's head. Ryuuta is larger than him. He's probably crushing the boy's bones into dust. His tail wags excitingly. Both of them are glad to reunite with each other, Souji laughing while Ryuuta purrs.

"What's the commotion, Souji?" a busty fox lady emerges from the door. She has long purple hair and a pair of fox ears on his head. She is appalled when she sees an unknown creature tackles Souji to the ground.

"Nazuna!" I call and she looks at me, her eyes widen.

"S-sirius?"

"Nazuna-san, long time no see!" Akira says, smiling. Nazuna looks at her.

"Akira? Y-you guys are here too?" We nod. She smiles. "I never thought of seeing you guys here." She gives me a tight squeeze. "I know it sounds bad to say this, but I'm glad to see you here."

"Me too," I reply. Souji continues to laugh in the background.

"Ryuuta! Stop! You're tickling me!" Souji yells. Ryuuta steps off from him. He uses his teeth to grab hold of Souji's clothing and pulls him up. Souji adjusts his clothing and pats the dragon. The latter rests his head on top of Souji's, the dragon's face drunken from happiness.

Souji looks at me. "Sirius! Akira! It's nice seeing you here!" He steps forward, arms outstretched to hug me but suddenly retracts them back to his side. I smile at his shyness and give him a hug instead. His body stiffens at first but returns the hug. I swear I hear Akira snicker.

"So this is your guild, huh, Souji?" I say, admiring the building's marvelous structure. "Nice." I turn to him. "It's still a harem guild, is it?" I smirk. He looks confused instead as if he hasn't heard those rumours of his guild. Nazuna sighs while Akira giggles.

"Let's go in," Nazuna grabs my arms and pulls me forward through the door. "We wouldn't want to keep our guests outside." We enter the interior, which is nonetheless spacious and nice. I stare at awe at the place. My home in the real world isn't even as nice as this.

There are few girls when I enter the place. Their eyes widen in shock as they see me. Something tells me my presence here is going to shatter their little beautiful world with Souji.

"G-girl?" says a girl with long peach-coloured hair, donned with blue hakama.

"NOOO! Sou-sama has brought back another girl!" a tall she-elf, with hair braided into two plaits, yells like it is the end of the world.

"Calm down, girls," says a bulky man with an effeminate voice. "She's a guest. Behave yourselves."

"Master has brought back a new girl as his girlfriend?!" exclaims a girl with brownish short hair and dresses up like a typical monk.

I sigh. How stereotype of them. I maybe Souji's friend who is a girl don't mean I'm here to join your vying for his affection. How does Souji even go through all this every day?

Nazuna places her arm over my shoulder and leans against me. "Girls, she's not here to join West Wind Brigade," she says. They all sigh in relief. Nazuna grins widely. "Though she is a potential love rival and high chances that Souji's picking her instead."

"EH?!" they exclaim loudly. I can feel their murderous intent ready to stab me to death. _Great job, Nazuna. You broke my first impression on friends I intend to make_.

Akira enters the place joyfully, which is actually a bad timing. The girls look even shocked this time, to the extent of appalled. They freeze at the instant when they realize Akira is actually a very cute-looking girl, which might spell 'potential love rival' for them. "ANOTHER ONE?!"

Akira, who doesn't know what is going on, freezes at the spot. "Eh?"

I slap my forehead at how lovesick these girls are, glaring daggers at anyone who is their potential love rival. "Look, me and Akira has no intentions of having Souji to anyone of us. So if you would, please stop the hostility before mayhem ensues."

They stop glaring at us. I glare at Nazuna now, who is seemingly enjoying the situation. Somehow I have a hunch this isn't over.

Souji emerges and the situation completely calms down. "Guys, I want you to meet my son!" Completely oblivious, the innocent boy aggravates the situation.

"S-son?!" the girls shout and glare at me once more.

Nazuna laughs as she is unable to contain it anymore. "This is gonna be good."

"Come in, Ryuuta!" Souji shouts. The dragon pops his head through the entrance. Tentatively, Ryuuta walks in with pride. Thank god his head doesn't reach the ceiling but his tail sweeps the floor, sometimes toppling over fragile decorations. The girls freeze at the spot.

"D-d-dragon!"

Ryuuta looks at them. He closes in at the face of the peach-coloured haired girl. The steam from his nostrils creates water droplets over her face. For a second there I thought she might faint.

Isami—I finally notice her name from her status bar—shivers like a leaf. "H-huge lizard…"

Lizard is not the correct term for a dragon that can breathe fire and bite your head off right now, Isami.

"Lizard!" Isami does the unthinkable and hugs Ryuuta's neck. Ryuuta is taken by surprise and tries to shake her off, but to no avail. He roars pleadingly at me while Isami clutches to him even tighter. I grab Isami by the collar and peel her off my dragon. Ryuuta immediately cowers behind me, scowling at the weird human girl who he assumes is trying to kill him.

Isami, held back by the effeminate man—Dolce, yearns to touch Ryuuta again. "Cute lizard…"

Nazuna laughs even harder. "I so can't believe this is happening."

I sigh. Souji, however, looks happy. He has the usual wide grin on his face. Probably he thinks Ryuuta is getting along with his guildmates. He turns to look at me expectantly. "Are you here to accept my offer to join my guild?"

"EH?!" the girls let out a second gasp.

"Sorry, Souji, I still prefer to be unbounded by any guild," I reply. _Plus I don't want end up massacred by you guild mates._

Souji looks at me sadly, tears brimming in his eyes. He's gonna cry because I reject him for the second time. How innocent and pure he must be. He must thought I hate him, just like how he thought of Shiroe when he rejected to join West Wind Brigade.

"It's not that I hate you or something," I add quickly. "I still like you, though." _Shit, I shouldn't have said that._

His guild mates glare at me, with the exception of Nazuna who is trying hard not to die of laughter.

Souji smiles gleefully. "Thanks for saying that. I really hoped that you and Akira and Ryuuta"-he says and pats the dragon's head-"Can stay." He gestures me to follow him. "Come, let's go to my room and chat."

"His room?!" the girls gasp once more. I really wish Souji would stop being so oblivious.

I give a look at Nazuna. She sighs and wipes the tears from her eyes. Clapping her hands, she says, "Girls, let's not disturb Souji's reunion with his friends, okay? It's impolite." The girls pout and watch—glare at me and Ryuuta as we follow Souji. Akira stays behind because she says she wants to leave us alone for some valuable 'family' time. If she isn't Level 20, I'd kick her ass right now.

We arrive at a spacious room which is devoid of any furniture or decorations. Souji gestures me to take a seat on the cushion on the floor and I do. He sits in front of me and Ryuuta rests his head on his.

"How's your journey going?" Souji initiates the conversation. "When I hear you intend to travel the entire Yamato I am quite surprised. But, this is how you do things. You love freedom. And I thought I'd never see Ryuuta again." Ryuuta grunts in approval.

"We are halfway to Minami when the 12th expansion pack comes online. Looks like the plan has to be postponed. Who knew we are actually inside of Elder Tale now," I reply.

"They call this The Apocalypse. Not much irony in that, huh?"

I nod. "To me, it's not really a disaster. To be actually inside the game which I love so much is a dream came true. But there's still much to learn. I believe there's more to this game—correction, reality than we know it when it was a game."

Ryuuta snores as he falls asleep. I'm impressed how Souji can withstand his weight without faltering. Souji strokes the scales on Ryuuta's neck. "Me too. I thought it'd be fun to be in the game, but it seems this is our reality now. It'll take some time to understand all its rules and laws, but it's worth a shot. I wonder what we can do here. What would Shiro-senpai do?"

"You didn't look for him? I saw that he's online when the Apocalypse happened."

He lowers his head. Then he lifts it up, looking sad. "I think he hates me."

"Nonsense. The Villain-in-glasses doesn't hate anyone. He just likes using them for his plans."

"But he rejected my offer." Souji pouts.

"I rejected your offer too. Does it look like I hate you?"

"Well," he scratches his head. "Thankfully you didn't. Or else I don't know what I am going to do."

I smile and yawn. Drowsiness begins to knock at my door. My eyelids are getting heavier. I rub my eyes to keep myself awake.

"Looks like you're tired. Like mother like son, huh?" Souji says. I stare at him but my eyelids are getting heavier. He gently places Ryuuta's head on the ground, who is unperturbed by the movement. Then he stands to retrieve something. He places a futon beside Ryuuta. The futon looks like heaven to me but I resist the urge to jump onto it because it is impolite.

Souji, as if understands my predicament, gestures me to it. I immediately launch myself onto it, feeling so comfortable with its softness that drags me into sleep. Ryuuta in his sleep places his tail over my body and I hug it.

Moments before I drift to Dreamland, a hand strokes my hair gently and warmth envelope me as Souji pulls me into his arms.

"Good night, Sirius."

* * *

**Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm also here to clarify that romance is never the main genre in this story, just like how it goes for Log Horizon's main story line. **

**Whiteraven95 off!**


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